District 2 — U.S. House of Representatives

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About this office

Representatives are elected to two-year terms to represent the people of a specific congressional district in the federal government. They introduce and vote on new laws, hold hearings, and are responsible for approving federal taxes.

For this office, only the two candidates who get the most votes in the primary election advance to the general election. The two candidates may be from the same political party.

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My Top 3 Priorities

Protecting our environment and confronting climate change

Levelling the economic playing field - through better jobs, wages, universal healthcare, and fair and responsible tax reform

Protecting Democratic institutions and the rule of law against unprecedented threats from the Trump administration

Experience

Experience

Profession:U.S. Congressman

Biography

Jared Huffman was elected in November, 2012 to represent California’s 2ndCongressional District which spans from the Golden Gate Bridge north to the Oregon border, and includes Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, and Del Norte Counties. He serves on the Natural Resources Committee, where his Vice Ranking Member, and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Before his election to Congress, Huffman represented the North Bay for six years in the California Assembly, where he distinguished himself as a legislator who works hard and gets results, often forging bipartisan consensus on difficult issues. Huffman authored well over 60 pieces of successful legislation in the Assembly and received numerous awards for his legislative leadership.

Prior to his election to public office, Huffman was a Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). One of his proudest accomplishments at NRDC was helping forge an agreement to restore a 153-mile stretch of the San Joaquin River in California’s Central Valley.

Before he joined NRDC, Huffman was a successful public interest attorney whose victories included several major jury verdicts in gender discrimination and race discrimination trials. He also served 12 years in local government as a Director of the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD), from 1994 to 2006.

Huffman graduatedmagna cum laudefrom the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he was also a three-time NCAA All-American volleyball player. He went on to play for the USA Volleyball Team in 1987 when the team was ranked #1 in the world, before attending and graduatingcum laudefrom Boston College Law School. Huffman was inducted into the UCSB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

Huffman lives in San Rafael with his wife Susan, a public school teacher, and his two children.

Who supports this candidate?

Featured Endorsements

Organizations (3)

Questions & Answers

Questions from League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (5)

What financing method(s) would you support to repair or improve roads, rails, ports, airports, the electrical grid and other infrastructure in the U.S.?

Answer from Jared Huffman:

We must eventually replace the federal gas tax with a modern, reliable funding stream to support critical investments in transportation infrastructure. I favor a carbon tax based on the carbon impact of all transportation fuels, including electricity which is gradually supplanting gasoline. This has the dual benefit of pricing carbon (a key strategy to address climate change and accelerate the transition to clean energy) and providing a funding stream that is not continually declining and leaving us with a massive backlog of infrastructure projects. I've introduced legislation in the Congress to do this, and will continue pushing for this type of reform. In the meantime, I also support short-term fixes such as raising the gas tax, imposing a per barrell oil fee, and possibly a VMT (vehicle miles travelled) fee if it can be adjusted to avoid disporportionate impacts on rural communities.

What programs or legislation, if any, would you support to help Americans of all ages secure affordable health care?

Answer from Jared Huffman:

I am cosponsoring the Medicare for All legislation in Congress. In addition, I'm cosponsoring a bill to open up Medicare for voluntary buy-in for people aged 50-64, among other reforms. I strongly oppose efforts to repeal the progress we've made under the Affordable Care Act.

Describe an immigration policy that you would support if presented to the House.

Answer from Jared Huffman:

I support the comprehensive immigration reform passed by the US Senate in 2014, but also support incremental reforms such as the Dream Act to provide protection and a path to citizenship for immigrants brought to this country as children.

What programs or legislation would you support to meet the water needs of Californians and the federal water project infrastructure in California?

Answer from Jared Huffman:

I've introduced legislation to promote 21st century water solutions for California and other western states -- recycling, groundwater management, water use efficiency, desalination, and stormwater capture among other strategies. This bill is informed by feedback from dozens of water managers throughout the West, and by hundreds of stakeholders who participated in our "crowdsourced" review process. It was endorsed by to the L.A. Times and the S.F. Chronicle because it offers real, cost-effective solutions without circumventing or undermining any of our environmental laws.

According to a "Civility In America” survey, 75% of Americans believe that the U.S. has a major civility problem. If you are elected what will do to address this?

Answer from Jared Huffman:

I agree. I try to model a respectful, responsible and civil tone in all of my public discourse, and also work hard to treat my colleagues respectfully regardless of party.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $872,020

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1

Employees of Puma Springs Vineyards

$10,680

2

CLEAN PAC

$10,000

2

Credit Union National Association

$10,000

2

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

$10,000

2

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America

$10,000

More information about contributions

By State:

California 59.21%

District of Columbia 19.91%

Virginia 4.58%

Maryland 3.86%

Other 12.44%

59.21%19.91%12.44%

By Size:

Large contributions (91.09%)

Small contributions (8.91%)

91.09%8.91%

By Type:

From organizations (42.37%)

From individuals (57.63%)

42.37%57.63%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.

Political Beliefs

As your representative in Congress, I’m fighting for the values we share.

That includes defending our environment, civil rights and healthcare reforms against reckless rollbacks; and protecting democratic institutions that ensure the rule of law.

It also includes confronting our country’s dangerous concentration of wealth and power.Special interests have rigged our political system, and President Trump is making it worse – flouting ethics rules, gutting regulatory protections, and passing an irresponsible tax law that punishes Californians and requires trillions in borrowing to fund huge tax cuts for billionaires.

We deserve a better deal focused on the future, with bold investments in infrastructure, research and education.We must upgrade aging roads, transit and water systems; bring broadband internet to every community; and accelerate our transition to renewable energy.This will boost productivity, create quality jobs that can’t be outsourced, cure diseases and reduce healthcare costs, and help address climate change.

I’m co-sponsoring net neutrality legislation to ensure open access to the internet, commonsense reforms to reduce gun violence, and a bipartisan bill to increase special education funding.

I’ll keep fighting for our local priorities – standing up to Big Oil and its agenda of more drilling, fracking and polluting; protecting our rivers and fisheries; securing funding for transportation infrastructure, dredging of commercially vital waterways, and more.

Finally, I’ll keep showing up and listening.I’ve spoken with over 12,000 constituents at town hall style meetings these past two years, and engaged thousands of young people in constructive dialogue through regular school visits.